Goodfellas
Cover photo from DVD release
Directed by	Martin Scorsese
Produced by	Irwin Winkler
Written by	Nicholas Pileggi Martin Scorsese
Narrated by	Ray Liotta Lorraine Bracco
Starring	Ray Liotta Robert De Niro Joe Pesci Lorraine Bracco Paul Sorvino
Cinematography	Michael Ballhaus
Editing by	Thelma Schoonmaker
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	September, 1990 (Italy) (premiere at VFF) September 19, 1990 (USA) October 18, 1990 (Australia)
Running time	145 minutes
Country	USA
Language	English Italian
Budget	$25,000,000
Gross revenue	$46,836,394
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Goodfellas (also spelled GoodFellas) is a 1990 crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, based on the book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, the true story of mob informer Henry Hill. Irwin Winkler (born May 25, 1931) is an Academy Award -winning American Film producer and director. Nicholas Pileggi (born February 22, 1933 in New York City, New York) is an Italian-American Author and Screenwriter Raymond Liotta (born December 18, 1954) is an Emmy Award -winning and Golden Globe -nominated American Actor, best known Lorraine Bracco (born October 2, 1954) is an Academy Award - Golden Globe - and Emmy Award -nominated as well as Screen Actors Raymond Liotta (born December 18, 1954) is an Emmy Award -winning and Golden Globe -nominated American Actor, best known Robert Mario De Niro Jr (born August 17 1943 is a two-time Academy Award -winning American Film Actor, director and producer Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, Comedian, Singer Lorraine Bracco (born October 2, 1954) is an Academy Award - Golden Globe - and Emmy Award -nominated as well as Screen Actors Paul Anthony Sorvino (born April 13 1939 is an American actor whose solid career has largely been the portrayal of authority figures both as a legal enforcer and criminal in television Michael Ballhaus, ASC (born 5 August 1935, Eichelsdorf, Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany) is a German Thelma Schoonmaker (born 3 January) is an American 3-time Academy Award -winning Film editor who has worked with director Martin Scorsese Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The Venice Film Festival is the oldest Film festival in the world Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been The year 1990 in film involved some significant events Events CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for The police procedural is a sub-genre of the mystery story which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a Police force as they investigate Crimes Wiseguy (ISBN 0671447343 is a 1986 non-fiction book by crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi about life in the American Mafia. Nicholas Pileggi (born February 22, 1933 in New York City, New York) is an Italian-American Author and Screenwriter The Mafia (also known as Cosa Nostra) is a Sicilian Criminal Secret society which is believed to have first developed in the mid-19th century Henry Hill (born June 11, 1943) is a former American Mobster, Lucchese crime family associate and FBI Informant The film follows the rise and fall of three gangsters, spanning three decades.

Scorsese originally intended to direct Goodfellas before The Last Temptation of Christ, but when funds materialized to make Last Temptation, he postponed what was then known as Wise Guy. The Last Temptation of Christ is a 1988 film directed by Martin Scorsese. The title of Pileggi's book had already been used for a TV series and for Brian De Palma's 1986 comedy Wise Guys, so Pileggi and Scorsese changed the name of their film to Goodfellas. Wiseguy ( 1987 - 1990) was a US Television program about Vincent "Vinnie" Terranova an Undercover agent Brian De Palma (born Brian Russell DePalma on September 11 1940 in Newark New Jersey) is an American Film director. Wise Guys is a 1986 feature film directed by Brian De Palma and starring Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo.

To prepare for their roles in the film, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Ray Liotta talked often with Pileggi, who shared with the actors research material that had been left over from writing the book. Robert Mario De Niro Jr (born August 17 1943 is a two-time Academy Award -winning American Film Actor, director and producer Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, Comedian, Singer Raymond Liotta (born December 18, 1954) is an Emmy Award -winning and Golden Globe -nominated American Actor, best known According to Joe Pesci, improvisation and ad-libbing came out of rehearsals where Scorsese gave the actors freedom to do whatever they wanted. Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, Comedian, Singer The director made transcripts of these sessions, took the lines that the actors came up with that he liked best, and put them into a revised script the cast worked from during principal photography.

Goodfellas performed well at the box office, grossing USD $46. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 8 million domestically, well above its $25 million budget; it received mostly strong positive reviews from critics. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards but only won one for Joe Pesci in the Best Actor in a Supporting Role category. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts Scorsese's film won three awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and was named best film of the year by the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and the National Society of Film Critics. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA is a British charity that hosts annual awards shows for film television television craft video games and forms of animation New York Film Critics Circle Awards are given annually to honor excellence in cinema worldwide by an organization of film reviewers from New York City -based publications The Los Angeles Film Critics Association ("LAFCA" was founded in 1975 The National Society of Film Critics or NSFC is an American Film critic organization

Plot

Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta and Robert De Niro as Tommy DeVito, Henry Hill, and Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas

Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) admits, "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster," idolizing the Lucchese crime family gangsters in his blue-collar, predominantly Italian neighborhood in East New York, Brooklyn in 1955. Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, Comedian, Singer Raymond Liotta (born December 18, 1954) is an Emmy Award -winning and Golden Globe -nominated American Actor, best known Robert Mario De Niro Jr (born August 17 1943 is a two-time Academy Award -winning American Film Actor, director and producer Raymond Liotta (born December 18, 1954) is an Emmy Award -winning and Golden Globe -nominated American Actor, best known The Lucchese crime family is one of the " Five Families " that controls Organized crime activities in New York City, USA, within An Italian American is an American of Italian descent and/or dual citizenship East New York is a low-income residential neighborhood located in eastern Brooklyn, a borough of New York City. Feeling the connection of being a part of something, Henry quits school and goes to work for them. His father, knowing the true nature of the Mafia, tries to stop Henry (by beating him after learning of his truancy), but the gangsters warn the local post office never to deliver any more letters from school to Henry's house.

Henry is taken under the wing of the local mob captain, Paul "Paulie" Cicero (Paul Sorvino) (based on the actual Lucchese mobster Paul Vario) and Cicero's close Irish associate Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) (based on Jimmy Burke) who help to cultivate Henry's criminal career through different phases. A caporegime (or Capodecina) (sometimes shortened to capo) is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking member of a crime family who heads Paul Anthony Sorvino (born April 13 1939 is an American actor whose solid career has largely been the portrayal of authority figures both as a legal enforcer and criminal in television Paul Vario ( July 9, 1914 – November 22, 1988) was a member of the U Irish Americans (Gael-Mheiriceánach are citizens of the United States who can claim ancestry originating in Ireland. Robert Mario De Niro Jr (born August 17 1943 is a two-time Academy Award -winning American Film Actor, director and producer James Burke, also known as "Jimmy the Gent" "The Big Irishman" and "The Irish Guinea" ( July 5, 1931 New York City New Henry is also introduced to the entire network of the crime syndicate run by Paulie.

Henry and his friends soon become successful, daring and dangerous. Conway loves hijacking trucks, and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci in his acclaimed Academy Award-winning performance based on Thomas DeSimone) is an aggressive psychopath with a hair-trigger temper. Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, Comedian, Singer Thomas Anthony "Two-Gun Tommy" DeSimone ( May 24, 1950 – January 14, 1979 Psychopathy ( is a psychological construct that describes chronic immoral and Antisocial behavior Henry commits the Air France Robbery and it makes his début. In 1967 mobster Henry Hill, aged 23 committed a US$420000 Burglary at the Air France air-cargo terminal in New York City 's JFK International Airport The friends hang out at the Copacabana night club enjoying the fabulous time they've been given behind their criminal activities. Copacabana (often referred to as The Copa) was a famous New York City Nightclub. At one point, Henry meets and soon marries a no-nonsense Jewish girl from the Five Towns named Karen. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ The Five Towns also refers to Stoke-on-Trent in Arnold Bennett 's novels Karen is both troubled and turned on by Henry's criminal activities.

On June 11, 1970, Tommy, with Jimmy's help, brutally beats Billy Batts (Frank Vincent), a prominent mobster of the Gambino crime family in Henry's own restaurant for an insult Batts made about Tommy when he used to be a shoeshine boy. Events 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned according to the calculations of Eratosthenes. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. William 'Billy Batts' Devino ( January 19, 1921 &ndash June 11, 1970) was a New York mobster with the Gambino crime family who was Frank Vincent (born April 4, 1939) is an Italian American Actor and Musician. The Gambino crime family is one of the " Five Families " that controls Organized crime activities based in New York City, United States Thinking that he's dead and realizing that this is an offense that can get all of them killed (Billy was a made man; made men are untouchable by those who are not made), they take the body upstate and find Batts still alive in the trunk of Henry's car. A Made Man, also known as a Wiseguy, Made member or Man of Honor, is someone who has been inducted into the Mafia (La Cosa Nostra Tommy angrily takes a knife he had borrowed from his mother's place and violently stabs him a few times and Jimmy finishes Batts off by shooting him. After the incident, Henry and his friends return to remove the body, out of fear that it would become discovered during imminent land development at the burial spot. Henry soon starts seeing a mistress named Janice Rossi (Gina Mastrogiacomo), with whom he goes out secretly on several nights. Gina Mastrogiacomo ( November 5, 1961 &ndash May 2, 2001) was an Italian-American Actress born in Great Neck One night, Tommy tries to provoke a young servant named Michael "Spider" Gianco (played by at-the-time unknown, Michael Imperioli). Michael "Spider" Gianfranco-Gianco ((1954 - 1970 Brownsville Brooklyn &ndash South Ozone Park Queens) was a Lucchese crime family and James Michael Imperioli (born March 26, 1966) commonly known as Michael Imperioli, is an Emmy -winning and Golden Globe Award Tommy takes out his pistol and gratuitously shoots Spider in the foot. The next night, Spider stands up to Tommy, who instantly shoots him to death. When Karen finds out that Henry has been cheating on her, she goes mad and wakes him up at their bed threatening him with one of his guns pointed at his face while sitting on top of him. She angrily asks him whether he loves Rossi. A shocked yet confident Henry repeatedly tells Karen that he only loves his wife, until Karen breaks into tears and Henry violently subdues her onto the carpet floor. He in turn threatens her with the gun, saying that he already has enough problems to worry about, such as the possibility of getting murdered on the streets.

Henry and Jimmy are sent to get money from an indebted Florida gambler in Tampa who says that he can't give them the money, even after Henry and Jimmy assault him. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the They hang him in the lion's den at a public zoo, to intimidate him further. Henry, Jimmy, the gambler and most of the crew (except for Tommy) are then arrested, thanks to the gambler's sister, who is a typist for the FBI. However, prison for the mobsters proves to be not that different than having their own small house with free food and drinks as opposed to normal cells. Henry makes deals in prison, and when he gets out, the crew commits the infamous Lufthansa Heist at JFK airport. The Lufthansa Heist was a robbery at John F Kennedy International Airport on December 11 1978 John F Kennedy International Airport is an International airport located in Queens County on Long Island in southeastern New York City about 12 miles (19 But even after the successful heist, things begin to shake up. The robbers buy gifts for their girlfriends, wives and families from their share of the stolen money, and so Jimmy orders anyone involved in the heist to be killed one by one, out of fear of being traced -- with the exception of Henry and Tommy. Henry establishes himself in the drug trade after seeing its amazing value. Meanwhile, Tommy is deceived into thinking that he's going to be "made" or become a prominent member of the Mafia. He is instead righteously executed by the Gambino crime family for Billy Batts' murder. The Gambino crime family is one of the " Five Families " that controls Organized crime activities based in New York City, United States However, Henry and Jimmy can't become "made men", because of Henry's half, and Jimmy's full, Irish heritage. The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate

On Sunday, May 11, 1980, Henry needs to make a big criminal deal with associates in Atlanta, and needs help. Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) He drives nearly all over town, getting his brother from the hospital, and cooking food for the family, all the while being a nervous wreck from lack of sleep and the amount of cocaine he has taken. Cocaine ( benzoylmethyl ecgonine) is a Crystalline Tropane Alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the Coca plant Henry is finally caught by narc agents and is sent to jail. When he returns home, he learns from Karen that she has flushed sixty-thousand dollars worth of cocaine down the toilet to prevent it from falling into the hands of the authorities. Henry and his family are left virtually penniless. Henry soon is excluded by Paulie for lying to him about his involvement in the drug trade, and becomes a mole for the FBI while in the Witness Protection Program to protect himself and his family after learning that Paulie and Jimmy had set a trap for him in Florida. The United States Federal Witness Protection Program is a Witness protection program administered by the United States Department of Justice to protect threatened He then says that he will miss the life of organized crime, and laments the fact that he's now going to have to live "the rest of his life like a Schnook".

Cast

Development

Goodfellas is based on New York crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi's book Wiseguy. Robert Mario De Niro Jr (born August 17 1943 is a two-time Academy Award -winning American Film Actor, director and producer James "Jimmy" Conway was a Fictional character played by Robert De Niro in the Film Goodfellas. James Burke, also known as "Jimmy the Gent" "The Big Irishman" and "The Irish Guinea" ( July 5, 1931 New York City New Raymond Liotta (born December 18, 1954) is an Emmy Award -winning and Golden Globe -nominated American Actor, best known Henry Hill (born June 11, 1943) is a former American Mobster, Lucchese crime family associate and FBI Informant Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, Comedian, Singer Thomas Anthony "Two-Gun Tommy" DeSimone ( May 24, 1950 – January 14, 1979 Lorraine Bracco (born October 2, 1954) is an Academy Award - Golden Globe - and Emmy Award -nominated as well as Screen Actors Karen Friedman (born circa 1946) is one of three daughters of a Paul Anthony Sorvino (born April 13 1939 is an American actor whose solid career has largely been the portrayal of authority figures both as a legal enforcer and criminal in television Paul Vario ( July 9, 1914 – November 22, 1988) was a member of the U Charleston Lewis "Chuck" Low (born December 1, 1937) is an American character actor Martin "Marty" Krugman (born December 30, 1919 Passaic New Jersey; disappeared January 4, 1979 Jamaica Frank Michael DiLeo (born October 23, 1947) is an American music industry executive and actor known for his portrayal of gangster Tuddy Cicero in Martin Scorsese Frank Sivero (born January 6, 1952) is an American character actor perhaps best known for playing the roles of Genco Abbandando in Mario Puzo Paolo LiCastri ( June 5, 1935 Castellammare del Golfo Sicily &ndash June 13, 1979 Flatlands Brooklyn) was a Made Angelo John Sepe aka " Angie " ( January 14 1941 South Ozone Park Queens &ndash July 18 1984 Mike Starr (born July 29, 1950) is an American Actor known for his large size and unprepossessing face Robert McMahon aka "Frenchy" aka "Bobby McMahon" ( Wantagh New York July 24, 1936 &ndash Flatlands Frank Vincent (born April 4, 1939) is an Italian American Actor and Musician. William 'Billy Batts' Devino ( January 19, 1921 &ndash June 11, 1970) was a New York mobster with the Gambino crime family who was Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21 1948 is an American Academy Award -nominated and BAFTA -winning actor Parnell Steven "Stacks" Edwards (January 15 1947 South Bronx &ndash December 18 1978 Morningside Heights Manhattan) was an African-American Anthony Stabile ( December 27, 1944 - 1985 was a New York mobster who belonged to the Gambino crime family and participated in several Hijackings Catherine Cappa Scorsese ( April 16, 1912 &ndash January 6, 1997) was an American actress, and also the mother of director Gina Mastrogiacomo ( November 5, 1961 &ndash May 2, 2001) was an Italian-American Actress born in Great Neck Deborah "Debi" Mazar (born August 15 1964 is an American actress, perhaps best known for her trademark Jersey Girl -type appearances and as edgy Ed Deacy (born April 28, 1946 in Brooklyn) is a former New York City Police detective, who has had notable singing and acting gigs Christopher Serrone (born 1976 is an American actor best known for playing Young Henry Hill in the film Goodfellas in 1990 Charles Scorsese ( May 8, 1913 &ndash August 23, 1993) was an American minor Film Actor. Thomas Agro aka " TA " " Tipp " " Thomas Ambrosiano " (1931 &ndash 1987 was a New York gangster with the Gambino James Michael Imperioli (born March 26, 1966) commonly known as Michael Imperioli, is an Emmy -winning and Golden Globe Award Michael "Spider" Gianfranco-Gianco ((1954 - 1970 Brownsville Brooklyn &ndash South Ozone Park Queens) was a Lucchese crime family and Angelo McConnach aka " Sonny Bamboo " ( March 17, 1926 - September 2, 1996) was a New York mobster club owner and loanshark Elizabeth Whitcraft is an American Actress who played small parts in some notable American films in the 1980s and 1990s Theresa Ferrara (1952 – May 18 1979) was an Italian-American Lucchese crime family associate who eventually became an Informant Nicholas Pileggi (born February 22, 1933 in New York City, New York) is an Italian-American Author and Screenwriter Martin Scorsese never intended to make another mob film until he read a review of the book and this inspired him to read it^[1] while working on the set of Color of Money in 1986. This article is about both the book and the film of the same name The Color of Money is a 1984 novel by American writer ^[2] He had always been fascinated by the Mob lifestyle and was drawn to Pileggi's book because it was the most honest portrayal of gangsters he had ever read. ^[3] After he read Pileggi's book, the filmmaker knew what approach he wanted to take: "To begin Goodfellas like a gunshot and have it get faster from there, almost like a two-and-a-half-hour trailer. I think it's the only way you can really sense the exhilaration of the lifestyle, and to get a sense of why a lot of people are attracted to it. "^[4] According to Pileggi, Scorsese cold-called the writer and told him, "I've been waiting for this book my entire life. " To which Pileggi replied "I've been waiting for this phone call my entire life". ^[5]

Scorsese originally intended to direct the film before The Last Temptation of Christ, but when funds materialized to make Last Temptation, he decided to postpone Wise Guy. The Last Temptation of Christ is a 1988 film directed by Martin Scorsese. He was drawn to the documentary aspects of Pileggi's book. "The book Wise Guys gives you a sense of the day-to-day life, the tedium - how they work, how they take over certain nightclubs, and for what reasons. It shows how it's done". ^[5] He saw Goodfellas as the third film in an unplanned trilogy of films that examined the lives of Italian-Americans "from slightly different angles". ^[6] He has often described the film as "a mob home movie" that is about money because "that's what they're really in business for". ^[3]

Screenplay

Scorsese and Pileggi collaborated on the screenplay and over the course of the 12 drafts it took to reach the ideal script, the reporter realized that "the visual styling had to be completely redone . . . So we decided to share credit". ^[5] They decided which sections of the book they liked and put them together like building blocks. ^[7] Scorsese persuaded Pileggi that they did not need to follow a traditional narrative structure. The director wanted to take the gangster film and deal with it episode by episode but start in the middle and move backwards and forwards. Scorsese would compact scenes and realized that if they were kept short, "the impact after about an hour and a half would be terrific". ^[7] He wanted to do the voiceover like the opening of Jules and Jim and use "all the basic tricks of the New Wave from around 1961". Jules and Jim ( Jules et Jim) is a 1962 French film directed by François Truffaut and based on the semi-autobiographical novel by "Nouvelle Vague" redirects here For the music group of the same name see Nouvelle Vague (band. ^[7] Since the title of Pileggi's book had already been used for a TV series and for Brian De Palma's 1986 comedy Wise Guys, Pileggi and Scorsese decided to change the name of their film to Goodfellas. Wiseguy ( 1987 - 1990) was a US Television program about Vincent "Vinnie" Terranova an Undercover agent Brian De Palma (born Brian Russell DePalma on September 11 1940 in Newark New Jersey) is an American Film director. Wise Guys is a 1986 feature film directed by Brian De Palma and starring Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo. ^[7]

Casting

Once Robert De Niro agreed to play Conway, Scorsese was able to secure the money needed to make the film. ^[2] The director cast Ray Liotta after De Niro saw him in Jonathan Demme's Something Wild and Scorsese was surprised by "his explosive energy" in that film. Robert Jonathan Demme (born February 22 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer and Something Wild is a 1986 comedy / Action film directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Melanie Griffith, Jeff Daniels ^[6] The actor had read Pileggi's book when it came out and was fascinated by it. A couple of years afterwards, his agent told him that Scorsese was going to direct a film version. In 1988, Liotta met the director over a period of a couple of months and auditioned for the film. ^[3] The actor campaigned aggressively for a role in the film but the studio wanted a well-known actor. "I think they would've rather had Eddie Murphy than me", the actor remembers. Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy (born April 3 1961 is an Academy Award -nominated Golden Globe - Screen Actors Guild Award -winning American ^[8]

To prepare for the role, De Niro consulted with Pileggi who had research material that had been discarded while writing the book. ^[9] De Niro often called Hill several times a day to ask how Burke walked, held his cigarette, and so on. ^[10][11] Driving to and from the set, Liotta listened to FBI audio cassette tapes of Hill, so he could practice speaking like his real-life counterpart. ^[11] To research her role, Lorraine Bracco tried to get close to a Mob wife but was unable to because they exist in a very tight-knit community. She decided not to meet the real Karen because she "thought it would be better if the creation came from me. I used her life with her parents as an emotional guideline for the role". ^[12] Paul Sorvino had no problem finding the voice and walk of his character but found it challenging finding "that kernel of coldness and absolute hardness that is antithetical to my nature except when my family is threatened". ^[13]

Principal photography

The film was shot in 1989 in New York City. The City of New York Scorsese broke the film down into sequences and storyboarded everything because of the complicated style throughout. According to the filmmaker, he "wanted lots of movement and I wanted it to be throughout the whole picture, and I wanted the style to kind of break down by the end, so that by his [Henry] last day as a wiseguy, it's as if the whole picture would be out of control, give the impression he's just going to spin off the edge and fly out. "^[1] He claims that the film's style comes from the first two or three minutes of Jules and Jim: extensive narration, quick edits, freeze frames, and multiple locale switches. ^[4] It was this reckless attitude towards convention that mirrored the attitude of many of the gangsters in the film. Scorsese remarked, "So if you do the movie, you say, 'I don't care if there's too much narration. Too many quick cuts? - That's too bad. ' It's that kind of really punk attitude we're trying to show". ^[4] He adopted a frenetic style in order to almost overwhelm the audience with images and information. ^[7] He also put a lot of detail in every frame because the gangster life is so rich. The use of freeze frames was done because Scorsese wanted images that would stop "because a point was being reached" in Henry's life. ^[7]

Joe Pesci did not judge his character but found the scene where he kills Spider for talking back to his character hard to do because he had trouble justifying the action until he forced himself to feel the way Tommy did. ^[3] Lorraine Bracco found the shoot to be an emotionally difficult one because it was such a male-dominated cast and realized that if she did not make her "work important, it would probably end up on the cutting room floor". ^[3] When it came to the relationship between Henry and Karen, Bracco saw no difference between an abused wife and her character. ^[3]

According to Pesci, improvisation and ad-libbing came out of rehearsals where Scorsese let the actors do whatever they wanted. He made transcripts of these sessions, took the lines that the actors came up with that he liked best, and put them into a revised script that the cast worked from during principal photography. ^[9] For example, in the scene where Tommy tells the story and Henry is responding to him - the "what's so funny about me" scene, was based on actual event that happened to Pesci. It was worked on in rehearsals where he and Liotta improvised and Scorsese recorded 4-5 takes, rewrote their dialogue and inserted it into the script. ^[14] The cast did not meet Henry Hill during the film's shoot but a few weeks before it premiered, Liotta met him in an undisclosed city. Hill had seen the film and told the actor that he loved it. ^[3]

The long tracking shot through the Copacabana nightclub came about because of a practical problem - the filmmakers could not get permission to go in the short way and this forced them to go round the back. ^[7] Scorsese decided to do it in one shot in order to symbolize Henry's whole life is ahead of him and according to the director, "It's his seduction of her [Karen] and it's also the lifestyle seducing him". ^[7] This sequence was shot eight times. ^[14] Henry's last day as a wiseguy was the hardest part of the film for Scorsese to shoot because he wanted to create the character's state of anxiety and the way the mind races when on drugs for people who had never been under the influence of cocaine and amphetamines. Cocaine ( benzoylmethyl ecgonine) is a Crystalline Tropane Alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the Coca plant Amphetamine, and related drugs such as Methamphetamine are a group of drugs that act by increasing levels of Norepinephrine, Serotonin, and Dopamine ^[7] The director ended the film with Henry regretting that he is no longer a wiseguy and Scorsese said, "I think the audience should get angry at him and I would hope they do - and maybe with the system which allows this". ^[7]

Post-production

Scorsese wanted to depict the film's violence realistically, "cold, unfeeling and horrible. Almost incidental. "^[2] However, he had to remove ten frames of blood in order to ensure an R rating from the MPAA. ^[6] With a budget of $25 million, Goodfellas was Scorsese's most expensive film to date but still only a medium budget by Hollywood standards. ^[7] It was also the first time he was obliged by Warner Bros. to preview the film. It was shown twice in California and a lot of audiences were "agitated" by Henry's last day as a wise guy sequence and Scorsese argued that that was the point of the scene. ^[7] Scorsese and the film's editor, Thelma Schoonmaker, made this sequence faster with more jump cuts to convey Henry's drug-addled point of view. Thelma Schoonmaker (born 3 January) is an American 3-time Academy Award -winning Film editor who has worked with director Martin Scorsese In the first test screening there were 40 walkouts in the first ten minutes. ^[14] One of the favorite scenes for test audiences was the one where Tommy tells the story and Henry is responding to him - the "what's so funny about me" scene. ^[7]

Soundtrack

Main article: Goodfellas (soundtrack)

Scorsese chose the songs for Goodfellas only if they commented on the scene or the characters "in an oblique way". Martin Scorsese chose the songs for Goodfellas only if they commented on the scene or the characters "in an oblique way" ^[6] The only rule he adhered to with the soundtrack was to use music which could only have been heard at that time. ^[7] For example, if a scene took place in 1973, he could use any song that was current or older. According to Scorsese, a lot of non-dialogue scenes were shot to playback. For example, he had "Layla" playing on the set while shooting the scene where the dead bodies are discovered in the car and the meat-truck. ^[7] Sometimes, the lyrics of songs were put between lines of dialogue to comment on the action. ^[7] Some of the music Scorsese had written into the script while other songs he discovered during the editing phase. ^[14]

Reception

Distribution

Goodfellas has its world premiere at the 1990 Venice Film Festival where Scorsese received the Silver Lion award for Best Director. The Venice Film Festival is the oldest Film festival in the world The Leone d’Argento ('Silver Lion' refers to a number of awards presented at the Venice Film Festival. ^[15] It was given a wide release in North America on September 21, 1990 in 1,070 theaters with an opening weekend gross of USD $6. Events 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 3 million. It went on to make $46. 8 million domestically, well above its $25 million budget. ^[16]

The film received mostly positive reviews from critics and currently has a 96% rating at Rotten Tomatoes and a 89 metascore at Metacritic. Rotten Tomatoes is a Website devoted to reviews information and news of Movies. Metacritic is a Website that collates reviews of music Albums games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and Books. In his review for The New York Times, Vincent Canby wrote, "More than any earlier Scorsese film, Goodfellas is memorable for the ensemble nature of the performances . Vincent Canby ( July 27 1924 &ndash September 15 2000) was an American film critic. . . The movie has been beautifully cast from the leading roles to the bits. There is flash also in some of Mr. Scorsese's directorial choices, including freeze frames, fast-cutting and the occasional long tracking shot. None of it is superfluous". ^[17] USA Today gave the film four out of four stars and called it, "great cinema - and also a whopping good time". USA TODAY is a national American daily Newspaper published by the Gannett Company. ^[4] David Ansen, in his review for Newsweek magazine, wrote "Every crisp minute of this long, teeming movie vibrates with outlaw energy". David Ansen is a reviewer and senior editor for Newsweek, where he has been reviewing movies since 1977 Newsweek is an American weekly Newsmagazine published in New York City. ^[18] However, Anthony Lane in the The Independent wrote, "There is a short, needling comedy of violence and cowardice somewhere inside this stylish film, and it is worth watching more than once to prise it free. Anthony Lane (born 1962 has been a film reviewer for ''The New Yorker'' magazine since 1993 The Independent is a British compact Newspaper published by Tony O'Reilly 's Independent News & Media. Scorsese himself chickened out, I think; perhaps the Mob got to him after all". ^[19] William Fugazy, of the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, a watchdog group on ethnic injustice, which claims a membership of 10 million and consists of 76 of the largest heritage groups in the United States, called for a boycott of the film and wanted Warner Bros. to ban it. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and "It's the worst stereotyping, the worst portrayal of the Italian community I've ever seen. Far worse than The Godfather. The Godfather is a 1972 Crime drama film based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed One killing after another", he said. ^[20] Scorsese responded to this criticism by saying, "As Nick Pileggi always points out, there are 18 to 20 million Italian-Americans. Out of that, there are only 4,000 alleged organised crime members. But, as Nick says, they cast a very long shadow". ^[7]

Awards

Goodfellas was nominated for six Academy Awards including Joe Pesci for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Lorraine Bracco for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Picture, Scorsese for Best Director, Thelma Schoonmaker for Best Film Editing, and Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi for Best Adapted Screenplay. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to artists working The Academy Award for Achievement in Directing (Best Director is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to Thelma Schoonmaker (born 3 January) is an American 3-time Academy Award -winning Film editor who has worked with director Martin Scorsese The Academy Award for Film Editing was first given for films issued in 1934 The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent Film awards in the United States ^[21] When Joe Pesci won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (the only Academy Award the film won),^[22] his entire speech was "This is an honor and a privilege, thank you". Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci (born February 9, 1943) is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, Comedian, Singer ^[23] It is the third shortest Oscar-acceptance speech, after William Holden's, who simply said, "Thank you", upon winning for Stalag 17, and Alfred Hitchcock's, who merely said, "Thanks," when he received an Honorary Oscar. William Holden ( April 17, 1918 &ndash November 12, 1981) was an Academy Award -winning American film Actor This article is about the film of this title For the punk band see Stalag 17 (band. Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE (13 Later, Pesci admitted that he did not say more, because "I really didn't think I was going to win". ^[23]

Goodfellas was nominated for five Golden Globes including Best Director, Best Motion Pictures, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Screenplay. The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and Television programs given out each year during a formal dinner This page lists the winners and nominees for the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, since its institution in 1943 This page lists the winners and nominees for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture — Drama, since its institution in 1951 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor — Motion Picture was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance in The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1944 for a performance See also Golden Globe Awards 1960s 1966: Robert Bolt, Doctor Zhivago 1967: Robert ^[24] It failed to win any of these awards. Scorsese's film won three awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA is a British charity that hosts annual awards shows for film television television craft video games and forms of animation This page lists the winners and nominees for the BAFTA Award for Best Film, BAFTA Award for Best Film not in the English Language and Alexander Korda Award for Best British Winners of the BAFTA Award for Best Direction presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay has been presented to its winners since 1968 2007 - ^[25]

The New York Film Critics Circle voted Goodfellas the Best Film of 1990, Robert De Niro was named Best Actor for his performance in the film and in Awakenings, and Scorsese was voted Best Director. New York Film Critics Circle Awards are given annually to honor excellence in cinema worldwide by an organization of film reviewers from New York City -based publications The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Picture is an award given by the New York Film Critics Circle, honoring the finest achievements in filmmaking The New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor is one of the awards given by the New York Film Critics Circle to honor the finest achievements in filmmaking Awakenings is a 1990 Drama film based on Oliver Sacks ' memoir of the same name. ^[26] The Los Angeles Film Critics Association also voted Scorsese as Best Director, GoodFellas as Best Film,^[26] awards for Pesci and Bracco as Best Supporting Actor and Actress, respectively, and Best Cinematography to Michael Ballhaus for his work on the film. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association ("LAFCA" was founded in 1975 This is the complete list of the winners of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Director given by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Film: Winners 1970s 1975(t Dog Day Afternoon The Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the annual awards given by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress2007 - Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone:Runner-Up Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There Michael Ballhaus, ASC (born 5 August 1935, Eichelsdorf, Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany) is a German ^[27] The National Board of Review voted Pesci as Best Supporting Actor. The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures was founded in 1909 in New York City, just 13 years after the birth of cinema, to protest New York City Mayor The National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the annual Film awards given by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. ^[28] The National Society of Film Critics voted Goodfellas Best Film of 1990 and Scorsese as Best Director. The National Society of Film Critics or NSFC is an American Film critic organization The National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Picture is an annual award given by National Society of Film Critics to honor the best film of the year The National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director is an annual award given by National Society of Film Critics to honor the best film director of the year ^[29] American Film magazine declared Goodfellas the best film of 1990 according to a poll of 80 movie critics. ^[30]

Legacy

GoodFellas is #94 on the American Film Institute's list of 100 Years, 100 Movies and #92 on its updated version from 2007. The American Film Institute ( AFI) is an independent Non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 The first of the AFI 100 Years series of cinematic milestones AFI's 100 Years AFI’s 100 Years100 Movies — 10th Anniversary Edition was the 2007 updated version of 100 Years… 100 Movies. In 2000, the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress The National Film Registry is the registry of Films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of

Roger Ebert, a friend and supporter of Scorsese, named GoodFellas the "best mob movie ever" and placed it among the best films of the nineties. Roger Joseph Ebert (iːbɝt born June 18, 1942) is an American film critic and Screenwriter. ^[31] Premiere magazine listed Joe Pesci as #96 on its list of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time, calling him "perhaps the single most irredeemable character ever put on film". Premiere was an American and New York City -based film Magazine published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U ^[32] Channel 4 placed Goodfellas at #10 in their 2002 poll The 100 Greatest Films. Channel 4 is a public-service Television and Radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom centred around a television channel of the same name which began In 2005, Total Film, named GoodFellas as the greatest film of all time. Total Film, published by Future Publishing, is the United Kingdom 's second best-selling Film Magazine. While there is no agreement upon the greatest Film of all time many publications and organizations have tried to determine the films considered the greatest ever.

References

Bibliography

• Martin Scorsese: A Journey, by Mary Pat Kelly (2003, Thunder Mouth Press), ISBN 978-1560254706.
• Scorsese on Scorsese, by David Thompson and Ian Christie (2004, Faber and Faber), ISBN 978-0571220021. Faber and Faber, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing
• Goodfellas, by Nicholas Pileggi and Martin Scorsese (1990, Faber and Faber), ISBN 978-0571162659.
• Wiseguy, by Nicholas Pileggi (1990, Rei Mti), ISBN 978-0671723224.

External links

• Goodfellas at the Internet Movie Database
• Goodfellas at Allmovie
• Goodfellas at Rotten Tomatoes
• Goodfellas at Metacritic
• Goodfellas at Box Office Mojo
• Reel Faces: Fact vs. Allmovie (previously All Movie Guide) is a commercial database of information about Movie stars movies and television shows. Rotten Tomatoes is a Website devoted to reviews information and news of Movies. Metacritic is a Website that collates reviews of music Albums games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and Books. Box Office Mojo is a Website that tracks Box office Revenue in a systematic way Fiction